JackElizabeth  After AWE
by sarah4hp
Summary: A fic describing what happened between Jack and Elizabeth after they parted in AWE. I hope you enjoy this, long but hopefully good, fanfiction.My first time posting a fic here, so be nice. Feedback is greatly apreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Jack was smiling to himself as he began heading for his beloved ship. He was feeling very pleased with himself at the moment seeing as he had managed to get The Pearl back from Barbosa. Of course this was the fourth time he had managed that, and Barbosa would probably be taking her back as soon as he found a way to do it, but… Jack wouldn't have it any other way.

I a world where nothing seemed to stay the same for long, where hearts were broken and good men lost their lives while evil where allowed to rule, it was nice to have something familiar and constant in you life. And ironically enough his relationship with Barbosa was the most constant one he had ever had.

Truth be told he was even enjoying having his father become a more constant figure in his life. Not that they always got along, but he had to admit that the old man had a lot of knowledge to pass on. Oh, he kept bugging Jack for grandchildren, someone to 'carry on the family name' as it were, but Jack didn't mind anymore. Since finding the fountain of youth and gaining immortality for himself, his father and Elizabeth there was no longer any need to rush anything. He had all the time in the world to find a woman worthy of that, and until he found her he was quite content to be on his own for the time being.

"Jack!" he heard behind him and his steps faltered slightly as the owner of the voice registered. He quickly pulled himself together and kept on walking as thoughts were flying through his head at an alarming rate. The most dominant one being 'this is not happening, not again!', and others being 'why now?', 'what does she want this time?', and 'why the hell am I feeling glad that she's here?!'.

"Jack Sparrow!" he heard and could no longer pretend not to hear her.

"Look Miss, I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that….."he trailed off as he turned around, pretending not to know who she was. "Lizzie!" he said in surprise. "To what do I owe this dubious honor?"

"Jack is in danger!" Elizabeth told him desperately.

"I'm fine luv" Jack told her confused.

"No!" Elizabeth stated annoyed. "Our son!"

"What happened?" Jack, suddenly very serious, wanted to know.

"I don't know" she admitted. "He was taken by pirates, but I didn't recognize the ship"

"Well, let's get going shall we?" Jack asked as he gestured for her to go aboard the ship. "No use wasting our time by standing here, eh?"

"What is your plan?" she wanted to know as they boarded his ship.

"The plan is to find the whelp's father" Jack told her. "As Captain of the Flying Dutchman he should be able to identify which ship we're looking for, savvy?"

He turned to Mr. Gibbs and the rest of his crew to give orders.

"Mr. Gibbs, we seem to have a need for finding the Flying Dutchman" he informed.

"Aye Captain" Gibbs nodded. "What is the heading?"

"Ah, the heading" Jack nodded. "That's the tricky part. Give me a minute, eh?"

He took out his compass while turning towards Elizabeth. He picked up her hand as he had done so many years prior and couldn't help but smile at the familiarity of it all. When he had put the compass in her hands he looked her in the eyes.

"Now, what you want most is to find the Flying Dutchman" he reminded her. "Because finding the Dutchman means finding Jack. So, you think you can help your Captain with a heading here?"

"Of course" Elizabeth nodded and opened the compass. Jack watched in interest as the needle spun around, but to his, and apparently Elizabeth's surprise as well, it would not settle on a direction.

"Well, it would seem that you won't be of much help in this situation, eh?" Jack said in disbelief. "Well, let's see what old Jack can do with this thing then, eh?"

He took the compass back and tried to focus on what he wanted most. He smiled as the needle actually came to a stop, which was something that hadn't happened in several years now, and provided him with a course he was pretty certain was the right one.

"Well, it looks like I haven't lost my touch completely after all" he told a gawping Gibbs. "And it would seem we're headed north Mr. Gibbs"

"Aye aye Captain" Gibbs acknowledged and set the course according to his orders.

Jack once again turned to Elizabeth and motioned towards his cabin with his usual cocky and slightly drunken gesture.

"Now, would you care to join me in my Cabin luv?" he asked her. "You know, get settled in, have some rum to take your mind off of this situation for a little while… I will naturally be sleeping with the rest of the crew, so no need to worry about you honor if that was a concern. I'm nothing if not a gentleman… well, everything is subjective I suppose, but you know what I mean"

"Yes, I know what you mean" Elizabeth laughed despite of herself. "And I would love to join you in your cabin. I could actually use some rum and some rest"

Jack opened the door before following her in, and then proceeded to open a bottle of rum while Elizabeth's bag of clothes was put down besides the bed. As she sat down I front of him he offered her the bottle and she gratefully took a gulp of the liquid.

"So, how long have you been looking for me?" he asked.

"Five days" she informed him. "I went straight to Tortuga to find you, and lucky for me you were here. But it took me a while to get here"

"Well, I only arrived yesterday, so much sooner and you wouldn't have found me here anyway I'm afraid" Jack stated. "Then again, you can always count on Rosie at the in to know where I am at any given time. Just in case you ever need a reliable source of information to find me"

"Thank you Jack" she smiled weakly. "You don't know how much this means to me. I…."

"I know luv" Jack assured her. "I know. But wait until I've actually helped to thank me, agreed?"

"Agreed" she nodded.

"Good" he confirmed. "Now, if you want to get some sleep I'll make sure no one disturbs you unless we find dear William while you're sleeping. Sounds like a plan?"

"Sounds great" she admitted.

"That's what I thought" he teased gently as she tried to suppress a yawn. "Sleep well"

"Thank you Jack" he heard her say before he closed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack was sitting on the steps looking out to sea as the ship moved through completely still waters at top speed. He enjoyed the smell of the ocean and the feel of the wind in his hair, as Gibbs came his way and sat down besides him.

"Captain, we need to know if we're on the right course" Gibbs informed him.

"Well, let's see shall we?" Jack smiled as he drew out the compass and opened it. "Well, slightly northeast but we're heading in the right direction as a whole"

"Aye Captain" Gibbs saluted and stood up. He turned to face Jack once more with a curios look on his face. "How is it that you can make the compass work now Captain?"

"It's just a matter of knowing what you want most in this world and not being afraid of admitting it to yourself mate" Jack chuckled softly.

"And what would that be Captain, if you don't mind me asking?" Gibbs inquired.

"Right now what I want most is the kid back where he belongs" Jack stated.

"But why….?" Gibbs trailed of.

"Come on mate" Jack smiled sadly. "Not even you are that blind, eh?"

"Miss Elizabeth" Gibbs nodded in understanding.

"Aye" Jack confirmed. "What I want most is to see her happy, and right now that means finding her son, which again means finding whelp senior savvy? As such the compass knows where to lead me"

"But why wouldn't it do the same for her?" Gibbs inquired.

"Yes, I thought that was an interesting development" Jack admitted with a sparkle in his eyes. "And if I'm right things are about to get even more interesting once the kid is back where he belongs"


	3. Chapter 3

Jack smiled as he saw Elizabeth coming out on deck to find him. He quickly had Gibbs take over at the helm and went down to join her by the side of the ship. Once again he couldn't help but smile as the familiarity brought back memories of their time together aboard the Black Pearl.

"Good morning luv" he greeted her.

"Jack" she smiled and his heart melted. "Have we found anything yet?"

"Not yet, but we're getting close" Jack assured her.

She nodded in defeat and lowered her gaze. He could tell that she was feeling scared, that she didn't know how to stop herself from crying, so he took her into his arms and planted a kiss on the top of her head. He felt her arms surrounding him, holding on for dear life, and couldn't deny how good it felt to have her in his arms again.

"We will find him Lizzie" he assured her fiercely. "I promise you… so trust me, okay?"

"I do trust you" she sniffled. "But what if we're too late"

"We won't be" he promised again. "One way or another we will get him back to you, even if I have to visit Davy Jones' locker again. And seeing as his father rules the land of the dead I doubt that will even be necessary"

"But…." She tailed off as she was interrupted.

"The Flying Dutchman Captain!" Gibbs shouted. "And she's heading straight for us!"

"See?" he smiled at her. "Will is on his way, and if anyone can find Jack it's him"

She nodded before drying her eyes quickly as she pulled away from his arms with the barest hint of reluctance. Jack smiled to himself as he headed for where Will's ship was coming side to side with the Pearl.

"Jack Sparrow!" Will shouted with a smile on his face. "What is the Pearl doing in these waters? I've never seen you this far north before"

"Well mate, I haven't needed to find you before, so that's why" Jack explained.

"Something wrong?" Will asked with a slight nervousness in his voice.

"Aye mate" Jack confirmed. "And I do believe your wife is pretty desperate to see you" he added as Elizabeth came running.

"Will!" she breathed in relief and threw herself into his arms.

Jack felt a sting in his heart but ignored it. After all he should have expected to be greeted with an overwhelming greeting once the two lovers were reunited once again, when had it ever been any different?

"Elizabeth!" Will stated in shock as he drew her close. "What's wrong?"

"They took Jack!" she told him in tears. "They sailed away with him, and I don't know who they are, or where they might have taken him…. He's gone!"

"Sssshhh" Will soothed her. "We'll find him Elizabeth, I swear we will"

"Of course we will" Jack agreed and went to take a hold of Elizabeth's shoulder. "Just tell Will everything you know about the ship, it's crew, it's heading… anything you know, and I'm sure we'll figure it out together"

"White sails, slightly smaller than The Pearl, brown with red around the edges… I don't know much else, other than they traded a lot of their spoils for drinks, meat and spices"

"Is anyone else missing?" Will wanted to know. "Any other kids?"

"None that I know of" she stated. "And they didn't even seem threatening, otherwise I would have kept a closer eye on him" she sobbed.

"I know you would" Will assured her while stroking her back to comfort her.

"So, what do you reckon?" Jack asked with interest.

"Murtogg?" Will suggested.

"You think so?" Jack said speculatively.

"Think about it... making them seem like pirates so she wouldn't suspect him of any ill intents" Will stated with anger. "I mean, the ship doesn't sound like any pirate ship I know, and I know them all… It does, however, sound a lot like the Lady Katrina, which is a ship the East India Trading company hasn't been using for about 7 years"

"Lady Katrina?" Jack questioned. "Where do we find her?"

"East" Will said. "Go east from here until you near your island and then go south until you see land for the first time. She should be making berth on one of the three small islands near there… it's one of their favorite hiding places"

"We're on our way" Jack promised him before he once again put his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Are you coming with me luv?"

"Of course she is" Will nodded before lifting her head to make eye contact. "You need to be strong and find our son, okay?"

"Okay" she nodded as she toughened herself up and leaned in for a kiss. "I love you"

"And I love you" Will smiled as he whipped away a tear on her cheek. "I wish I could go with you, but you know I can't set foot on land…"

"…for eight more years, I know" she finished his sentence.

Will nodded sadly and kissed the top of her head before leading her onto the Peal and watching her sail away. The toughest part was always sailing away from her, and he knew it would be eight long years until he would finally be able to hold her in his arms again. And this time something within him was telling him that when the years had passed her heart would no longer be his… if it ever truly had been his to begin with. He sighed before turning away to give his crew their next heading.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack was enjoying some relaxation in his cabin for a little while seeing as Elizabeth wasn't using it at the moment. He was caressing one of his rings when the door was opened and she stepped into her room.

"Jack…" she trailed off. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure luv" Jack nodded, amused by her straight forwardness.

"Do you remember Sao Feng?" she wondered.

"Aye" Jack confirmed.

"When I was on his ship as part of the bargain to keep Will and the crew safe, he called my Calypso. He thought I was the goddess in her human form"

"I'm not quite grasping the question here luv" Jack stated confused.

"Well… why would he think that?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Just look at you Lizzie" Jack said as if stating the obvious.

"What?" she demanded.

"Well, in all honesty you do have a striking resemblance" he informed her.

"We do not! Tia Dalma looked nothing like me" Elizabeth said in outrage.

"Of course she didn't" Jack acknowledged. "I mean Calypso the goddess. You're both as fierce as unpredictable as the sea, both very strong women, both of you holds more than what meets the eye… and your beauty is beyond compare, which means you have the ability to cast a spell on any man you meet"

"You make me sound so evil!" Elizabeth burst out.

"No, never evil luv… it's just in your nature, you can't help it. You're a pirate at heart, and you need the thrill of exciting adventures. You have to be free; it's just in your blood"

"And the men?" she wondered.

"Well, as far as the men are concerned that is beyond your control as well… That has more to do with men's nature than your own I'm afraid. But the fact still remains that you hold a power you do not always realize you have"

"I do not prey on innocent men!" she defended herself.

"Norrington?" Jack laughed in disbelief.

"One man!" she tried.

"Will" Jack stated.

"He doesn't count!" Elizabeth informed him. "I married him, so I didn't use him… I actually loved him. So other than Norrington I have never used my 'power' on men"

"Yes you have" Jack assured her.

"Who?" she demanded.

"Me" he told her quietly.

She looked at him for a moment before a smile tugged at her lips. He smiled back even though he couldn't help but wonder if he had just made a huge mistake.

"You do not count either" she stated.

He looked at her with in disbelief before raising a curios eyebrow, challenging her to explain the meaning of that further. But she turned around to walk out the door, and any hope of her admitting that what she was saying was that she had, if nothing else, loved him at one point in time as well, was diapering with her.

"Goodbye Jack" was the last thing he heard before the door closed.

"Well, that was interesting" Jack muttered to himself. "That was very interesting"


	5. Chapter 5

"Captain!" Gibbs yelled as he came running up to Jack. "Lady Katrina straight ahead!"

"Yes!" Jack smiled with an evil look in his eyes. "Let's pay them a visit they won't soon forget, eh?"

Aye aye Captain!" Gibbs agreed excitedly before going to give orders.

Jack went to the cabin and silently knocked on the door. When no one answered, even though he tried knocking a couple of times, he opened the door and stepped inside. He smiled as he saw Elizabeth sleeping. She looked peaceful for the first time since they had been reunited, and in truth he was feeling reluctant to bring her out of that state. The only reason he did it was because he knew she would never forgive him if he didn't.

"Lizzie" he stated softly while gently shaking her. "Time to wake up darling"

"Jack?" she asked confused.

"Aye luv" Jack confirmed. "We've found the ship, so I thought you might be interested in helping us get your son back, eh?"

"Yes" she said, suddenly sounding very awake.

"Let's get this show on the road then, shall we?" he asked while bowing in mock salute.

"Of course" Elizabeth nodded as he opened the door for her.

"After you milady" Jack stated.

"Thank you kind sir" she rolled her eyes while going out the door.

Jack shook his head amused. It always amazed him how strong she was in situations where most people would have fallen apart a long time ago. The only times he had ever truly seen her loose it was when she saw her father dead, when she thought Will would die, and when she had to tell himself and Will about young Jack being kidnapped. He had been told that his own death had merited a similar reaction from her, which he believed considering the sources. Then again, her guilt had been obvious to see when they were reunited in the locker, so a strong reaction was to be expected… what he couldn't quite know was whether there had been more than mere guilt behind the tears and her desperation to get him back. Maybe one day he would find out.

He prepared to greet the people aboard the Lady Katrina as the Peal was coming up alongside her. The people aboard didn't look quite comfortable with the company they had attracted, and Jack had every intention of proving just how right they were to be scared once he got a hold of them.

"Hello mate" Jack greeted a man. "Who might a person want to talk to should he wish to negotiate with the Captain of this fine vessel?"

"That would be Mr. Berger Sir" the man informed him, looking rather nervous.

"And where would I find this Mr. Berger I wonder?" Jack inquired.

"Right here" a man stated as he came forward.

"Splendid!" Jack saluted in his slightly drunken way. "So, tell me Mr. Berger… where might I look for a young boy, about 11 years of age that was last seen sailing away on this ship in what we can only assume to be a less than willing manor?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" the Captain assured Jack.

Jack shook his head in a disappointed manor as he stepped up close to the Captain and flashed min a menacing smile.

"Oh, for your sake I hope that is not true, because if it is I will be left with no choice but to send you, this fine ship and the rest of your fine crew on a journey you will in no way find enjoyable"

"What?" the Captain asked confused.

"Well mate, let me put it like this… I will send you down to the depths; each and every one of you. Now, you might not think that the most terrible of fates, depending on how you look at death, but let me assure you that it is in fact the worst fate that I can possibly bestow upon you. Why you ask? Well, let's just say that the boy's father, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, might not be his usual forgiving self once faced with the people who took his son savvy?"

The Captain nodded while swallowing a lump that seemed to be stuck in his throat. Jack felt a sense of satisfaction but patiently waited until the Captain had managed to pull himself together once again.

"So, I take it Murtog never informed you who the boys parents where" Jack chuckled amused. "Well mate, where is the kid then?" he asked.

"Below" the Captain admitted.

"Keys if you please" Jack smiled sweetly while impatiently stretching out his hand to accept the object in question.

He took the key and turned around to find Elizabeth standing with the rest of the crew. She smiled, and he happily gave her a wink as he offered her the key.

"Here you go luv" he said affectionately. "Let's go get the boy eh?"

She nodded and gladly followed him below. Jack could feel that he was actually excited about meeting Elizabeth and Will's son, and that he was slightly nervous about how the kid would take his presence.

"Jack!" Elizabeth burst out as she stormed to his cell to unlock the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" the boy assured her and Jack smiled at the courage the boy showed.

Elizabeth had the door unlocked in seconds and desperately hugged her son close while pulling back to bestow kisses on his cheek and the top of his head every now and again.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long" she told her son. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you!"

"Mom!" Jack sighed as he tried to get away. "Mom!

She let him go and he took a few steps back to create a slight distance between himself and his mother. Jack smiled at that and shook his head at how much he reminded of Elizabeth personality wise. When you took in the boys appearance it was pretty obvious to see that he was a Turner as well. The again, you couldn't really accuse Will of being scared or a coward… he just seemed to have rotten luck which usually got him into more trouble whenever he tried to fix a situation.

"It's okay mom" Jack assured Elizabeth. "I knew you'd come"

Elizabeth smiled and nodded in relief. Then she noticed her son curiously watching Jack and Gibbs and smiled as she led her son to meet the strangers.

"Jack, meet the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow" she grinned.

"Wow!" his namesake burst out and Jack felt an irrational sense of pride at the boy's reaction. "I've heard so much about you"

"Well, coming from your mom it can't have been impressive enough to merit that kind of reaction" Jack laughed as he put a hand on the boy's shoulders.

"Oh Jack!" Elizabeth rolled her eyes while playfully slapping his shoulder. "You know that the stories I have of our adventures couldn't possibly paint you in anything less than a glowing light"

"Well, I'll accept the fake flattery, but only because it does wonders for my otherwise very bruised ego" Jack teased.

"Is it true that you've saved my mother's life several times?" her son wanted to know.

"Aye kid" Jack confirmed as his eyes met with Elizabeth's for a split second. "Your mom has a real ability to find trouble… or is it that trouble has a way of finding her? I'm not quite sure, but I'll tell you all about it on the way back to your home, agreed?"

"Agreed" the kid smiled excitedly.

Jack smiled as they headed for the Pearl to head home. When he was sure that all were safely aboard his ship he turned to the Captain one last time before joining them on his ship.

"Oh, and I trust that you will inform Murtogg that if he ever lays a hand on Elizabeth or anyone from her family ever again Jack Sparrow will personally make sure that he is dead within the week…" Jack stated.

"Of course sir" the Captain promised him.

"Good man" Jack nodded before jumping aboard the Pearl and cutting her loose.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack watched the kid and Elizabeth talking and smiled as he went to take over the steering of the ship. He needed a slight break from it all before once again facing the only woman he had ever truly loved and her son.

Elizabeth watched Jack steering his beloved ship and smiled. It was clear how much he loved the ship, and it was clear to see that his freedom was doing wonders for him. He looked as stunning as ever, and to her great relief he looked happy as well.

"Do you think he'll stay on the island with us for a while?" her son's excited voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I don't know Jack" she smiled. "He was never easy to predict, and it will depend on what his plans are once he's helped us get home safe and sound..."

"But I really want to get to know him!" her son complained. "You've told me so much about him… and he promised to tell me about your adventures"

"Well, it will take several days before we're home again, so there's plenty of time for him to tell you his stories" she assured her son.

"Do you think he'll tell me about the time he was killed by the Kraken?" the child asked with hope in his in his voice.

Elizabeth had a sudden flashback to that point in time. The fear as she realized that the Kraken was attacking and that Jack had left them behind; her trying to shoot the Kraken and Will being stuck in the net, thus making her mission impossible unless she wanted to kill him too; the feelings of relief, and the feeling of being safe and protected, as she realized that Jack had returned to help them fight the Kraken; and last but not least the kiss of a lifetime before sending Jack to his death.

"I'm sure he will" she told her son, praying that the good Captain would leave out the more specific details of that disastrous fight.

"And what is it you're sure I will do luv?" Jack asked as he joined her.

"She said that you probably wouldn't mind telling me about the time you were killed by the Kraken" her son explained.

"Ah" Jack nodded in understanding. "Well, I would gladly tell you all about that mate, but first I'm curios to know how much of it you've heard already"

"I know that mom was saved by someone from your crew when the Kraken grabbed her, I know that she lost the gun she was meant to shoot the Kraken with when that happened, and that when she went to get it back you came and shot the Kraken for her. And I know that you stayed behind to fight the Kraken when the rest of them fled in a tiny boat"

"I see" Jack stated. "Well, other than the fact that I didn't shoot the Kraken itself, but managed to hit some barrels with gunpowder and rum that hurt the Kraken when they blew up, it would seem that you have been very well informed"

"But how was the Kraken?" the boy wanted to know.

"Scary" Jack confided in him. "And I have to say it smelled very badly as well… I mean, I know your mom thinks my hygiene leaves something to be desired, but... I don't think she has anything to complain about all things considered"

Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head.

"You know I only said that to get back at you" she teased. "And I had no idea it affected you that much!"

"Well, words hurt luv" Jack teased her right back with a smile on his face.

"Men" Elizabeth sighed dramatically.

"Women" Jack sighed while winking at her son who snickered.

"Tell me about another time you saved my mother" the boy asked.

"Well…" Jack trailed off as he thought about which story to tel. "Did you know that we actually met because I saved her life?"

"The drowning-thing right?" he asked his mother who nodded with a smile.

"Exactly" Jack confirmed. "Now, she claims it was the corset, but I still say it was a desperate attempt to avoid saying yes to the good commodore"

"Who was that?" her son was curios to know.

"James Norrington" Jack answered. "He was asking you mother to marry him when she fainted and dropped into the water right before my eyes"

"What where you doing there?"

"Well, I was there to commandeer the Interceptor from Port Royals Royal Navy" he grinned. "The only ship with any hope of matching the Pearl for speed"

"And then you rescued her?" the boy wanted to know.

"Aye" Jack agreed. "I left my effects with the fine men who had captured me because I had been aboard the ship I was trying to commandeer, and jumped into the water to save the woman I had seen falling from drowning. But she wasn't breathing when I finally got her out of the waters, so I had to cut her corset loose to allow her to breathe again. She coughed up the water and as you can see she is safe and sound"

Jack cleared his throat before continuing with a smile on his face,

"Well, that's when I notice this necklace she's wearing. It's a pirate medallion, and I know it's the one Barbosa has been looking for, so naturally I ask where she got that necklace from"

"Where did you get it from?" her son wanted to know.

"Well, I got it from your father" Elizabeth told him. "When we rescued him as a child he was wearing the medallion, and to prevent my father and the rest of the crew from finding out that the boy was a pirate I took it. I had kept it safe ever since, and that was actually the first time in about eight years that I was wearing it"

"But I never got to find that out seeing as the commodore decided to arrest me. I guess he knew I was a pirate because he didn't seem surprised to find out. Anyway, to avoid getting hung I grabbed your mom and threatened to hurt her unless they gave my back my effects and my hat. Naturally they did, and once your mom had given them back to me I left her behind as I ran away from the soldiers as fast as I could"

"Then why did you meet again?"

"Well, that's when I met your dad" Jack continued his tale. "I got the idea that I would hide in the smithy, which was lucky seeing as it allowed me to break the chains connecting my handcuffs. But your father surprised me when he suddenly came back and I realized that his drunken master who was passed out in the corner wasn't the only one there. Will found my hat, after realizing that his hammer had been moved in his absence, and then I had no choice but to show myself. We fought, and he let me know he didn't appreciate me threatening your mom, but in the end I won because I wasn't afraid to fight a little dirty when needed. But I was knocked out by his master who had chosen that moment to wake from his drunken haze, and as such I was put in jail"

"What has that got to do with my mom?" the child wanted to know.

"Well" Jack explained. "While I was in prison Barbosa and his crew attacked Port Royal. They were looking for the pirate medallion your mother was wearing, and because it was in her possession they kidnapped her because they thought she was the daughter of Bootstrap Bill Turner, your grandfather. When your father realized that his bony lass had been taken by pirates he wanted to save her, and because he was smart enough to know that Norringotn and his men were completely useless to him he came looking for yours truly. I told him what I knew about Barbosa's ship; or my ship as it is, and when I found out who he was I agreed to help him save Elizabeth"

"Why?" the kid wanted to know.

"Well…" Jack trailed off. "Mostly I agreed to get out of jail and avoid getting hung, and of course in the hopes of getting my ship back"

"So, how did you save her from Barbosa?"

"Well, we didn't really" Jack confessed. "You see, your father had learned that I was the former Captain of the Black Pearl, and naturally it didn't take much to figure out what my plan was. Not really feeling up for being my 'leverage' he therefore decided to knock me out and leave me behind once he had rescued the fair lady and won her heart"

"So he just left you behind?" her son asked in disbelief.

"He sure did" Jack confirmed with a grin. "But it didn't matter. I managed to negotiate a temporary truce with Barbosa because he needed me to identify the real owner of the medallion that your mom and father had managed to steal before escaping out to the Interceptor and my crew to sail away"

"I remember being very shocked when I found out what he had done" Elizabeth smiled. "And I was outraged when he told me that you had planned to hand him over to Barbosa in exchange for your ship"

"Yeah, well your father didn't know me that well back then" Jack explained to the child. "So, naturally he didn't trust me. Of course his plan was bound to fail seeing as the Pearl is the fastest ship there is… So it wasn't long before Barbosa had caught up with them, and my attempts to convince him to spare the people aboard only got me behind bars yet again"

"So how did you escape yet again?"

"Well kid, a cannonball came bursting through the wall and destroyed the barns so I could easily escape and join my crew on the other ship. I got there just in time to save your mother from getting killed by a pirate that had just gotten a hold of her. Of course I ended up saving her from getting shot right after that, so…"

"Can't say that I was too appreciative of his actions at that time though" Elizabeth chuckled. "I almost ended up slapping you"

"Ah yes" Jack remembered with amusement. "Because I dared ask you where the medallion was I believe"

"Well, I thought that was the only reason you wanted me alive!" Elizabeth defended herself halfheartedly.

"Wasn't it?" her son wanted to know.

"Not exactly" Jack told him. "It was the most dominant reason to be sure, but I think my slight crush might have played tricks on my mind as well"

"You had a crush on my mom?!"

"Aye" Jack grinned. "It grew considerably stronger over time, so as Lizzie mentioned my desire to find the medallion and get my ship back was the main reason I risked my own life to save hers"

"But you didn't win did you?" little Jack wanted to know.

"No, we were taken captive, and your mother wasn't too popular after having convinced them she was the Turner they were after. I was just preparing to give one of my best performances yet when your father showed up and ruined it all… He never did have great timing that one"

"What happened?" Will's son wanted to know.

"Well, he revealed his identity, thus taking away my only hope of bargaining with Barbosa, which meant that your mother and myself were forced to spent about twenty-four hours on a deserted island with no hope of getting rescued anytime soon"

"That's where you taught him the pirate song!" Jack grinned at his mother.

"Yes it was" Elizabeth confirmed. "And Jack was very enthusiastic about it"

"It's a good song luv" Jack smirked. "Anyway. Once we got settled in a bit, and your mother had made it perfectly clear how useless and despicable she found me, we started drinking some rum. I asked her to teach me the pirate song she had quoted earlier, and we ended up singing it while dancing around the fire. Now, I though we were finally having some fun together, both being pretty drunk, but it turns out that she was just waiting for me to pass out so she could carry out her plan, which was burning all the food, shade and rum in the hopes that someone, namely the Royal Navy who was out looking for her, would see it and come to our rescue. Now, her plan worked, and thank God she thought of that, and I have since forgiven for her burning my rum"

"Yes, you weren't too fond of me then were you?" Elizabeth asked amused.

"Not like you were my biggest fan at that point in time either" Jack shot back.

"True enough" she relented. "

"Then how did you end up liking each other?" the boy wanted to know.

"Well…"Jack trailed of with a smile on his face. "When your mother was reunited with the good commodore and her father she begged them to save young William Turner from the pirates. Now, they didn't seem to be of the opinion that a blacksmith that had helped a notorious pirate escape was of any real importance in the great scheme of things, and as such refused your mother's desperate request. So, you mother being who she is, chose to accept the commodore's proposal at that moment and asked him to save your father for her sake, as a wedding gift I believe she said. The commodore agreed when he saw the chance to have the woman he loved as his wife"

"You were engaged before?" her son laughed in disbelief.

"Well, for a short while yes" Elizabeth replied.

"And you liked her because of that?" he asked the pirate.

"I guess you could say that" Jack nodded with a grin. "Now, your mother being who she is naturally stated feeling guilty for manipulating a man she genuinely liked that way, and she came to me for advice, maybe because she assumed I had extensive experience with betraying people. Now, that's when I started liking your mother for real, when she stood there looking so sad and I told her that I admired what she'd done and she seemed to find that comforting for some reason. I mean, I guess I liked her because I saw that she was a pirate same as me"

"Did you like him too then?" her son inquired.

"Yes" Elizabeth smiled. "I don't know why I would ever find the admiration of a pirate comforting, or how I could feel that it somehow made what I'd done easier to bear, but he really helped me that night. I think that's when we became friends"

"Well, as I've already revealed my feelings might be more accurately filed under the term 'crush', but still…." Jack grinned.

"Did my mom have a crush on you too?" the boy wondered.

"Of course I did" Elizabeth laughed. "I had read books about his adventured, heard fantastic stories of his miraculous escapes… how could I not develop feelings for my childhood hero?"

"Thanks for making me feel old darling" Jack stated in mock annoyance.

"Anytime Jack" she assured him teasingly.

"I will never doubt that luv" he shot back before returning his attention to her son. "Still, I have to say she did a fairly good job at keeping her feelings hidden. That's not to say that I never picked up on anything, but…. Generally speaking she did a very good job at convincing me that any feelings I might pick up on would not be strong enough to rival her contempt for me. Of course it didn't help that she found out that most of the stories she'd heard were not true…."

"You make it sound as if I hated you" Elizabeth interrupted.

"Well…. Didn't you?" Jack demanded.

"No! I didn't much care for your less than morally acceptable ways of going about getting what you wanted, but I never hated you. How could I? You've always done so much for us. And I never thought less of you despite finding out that the stories were untrue"

"As you can see we developed a close friendship later on, and that has been kept alive ever since. But we did have a rocky start" Jack told her son.

"But what about my dad?"

"Ah, dear William" Jack nodded in remembrance. "Well, I convinced the commodore to lock your mother in the cabin to prevent anything from happening to his precious fiancé, and then I went in to lure the pirates out of the cave. When they got out the plan was for Norrington and his men to bomb their tiny boats, thus keeping them from hurting anyone from the Royal Navy before I had a chance to lift the curse that made them immortal. But, Norrington couldn't find it in him to trust me, and so he changed the plan so that his men were put in danger. I went in and convinced the men to go fight the Royal Navy before lifting the curse and bringing their lives in danger, and as a reward for the warning I was to get the Pearl back while Barbosa got the Dauntless. The crew disappeared, your father and I started fighting the four remaining men, and it wasn't long until your mother decided to join us. She had decided that she didn't like my plan for her and had escaped, and now she was helping your father fight three crewmembers, while I took care of Barbosa seeing as I was now immortal same as him. Will and me managed to get in the position to lift the curse, and Barbosa tried to threaten your mother. I shot him before he had a chance to hurt her, and while he was mocking me for shooting an immortal man your father lifted the curse and he died. Naturally the crew surrendered once they figured out that that weren't immortal anymore, but it did cost some lives"

"That's how Jack got arrested yet again" Elizabeth told her son. "You remember how I told you your father helped save him from the noose?"

"Yes"

"Yes" Jack nodded. "He's a good man your father, you should know that. Lucky is something he is definitely not, but he's a good man. And your mother is quite the lady as well… I think both your father and I would have been dead had she not stepped in and convinced the commodore and the governor not to hurt us"

"So what happened?" the boy wanted to know. "Why did you meet again after she had helped you escape?"

Jack laughed and cleared his throat before beginning the next part of their adventure.

"Well…" he began. "Davy Jones, the man that was Captain of the Flying Dutchman before your father, was not quite the man your father is. Still, when I was younger I needed his help retrieving the Pearl from the depths of the sea, and was foolish enough to promise him 100 years of service aboard his ship for 13 years as Captain Jack Sparrow aboard the Black Pearl. Now, as you know Barbosa had that ship for 10 years, so when I got it back my time was almost up. And it wasn't long until your grandfather was sent to tell me that it was time to pay my debt to him. Now, I wasn't much for being a servant aboard any ship, but especially not one like that, so I tried everything I could to get out of it. That's why your father's sudden reappearance in my life was a very welcome surprise. I quickly enlisted him to help me retrieving the key that would unlock the chest of Davy Jones, and in return I promised him my compass so he could free your mother from Lord Cuttler Becket and save her life"

"Who is Becket?" the boy wanted to know.

"A former employer of mine" Jack informed him. "A cruel man with more ambition than heart. Anyway, he had arrested your mother and your father for helping me escape, but had allowed Will this one chance to save them both. Now, as I had feared your father was taken captive by Davy Jones, and as I had instructed he said that he had been sent to pay my debt. Davy Jones came to me and said that he wanted 100 souls for mine or there would be no deal, and I was given three days to find the 99 souls who would join your father. So, I left your father behind and was quick to go to Tortuga for the 100 people that could take my place. Naturally I didn't find enough, which I had never expected to begin with, and I was starting to get desperate when your mother suddenly made a reappearance in my life as well"

"Your grandfather had managed to get me out of jail, and I was lucky enough to escape before they found me and put me back in jail" Elizabeth explained. "And naturally I went in search of Jack in the hopes of finding your father with him"

"Only, your father was with Davy Jones, which turned out to be extraordinarily lucky for me. See, I convinced your mother that to save Will she had to find Davy Jones´ chest and then use the heart to free him. So, with her help I got the compass working again and we found the chest, only we didn't have the key who unlocks it"

"So what did you do?" the boy asked.

"That's when your dad came with the key" Jack continued. "He had managed to find the key and had escaped Davy Jones. Or to be more exact had escaped and then ensured that he got a ride to where me and your mother would be when Davy Jones´ realized that the chest was in danger; which meant that Davy Jones´ crew wasn't too far behind, and that we had to get away as quickly as possible"

"Oh no no no…." Elizabeth interrupted. "No need to make it sound like you, Will and James were that sensible when you chose that moment to fight amongst each other in stead of worrying about escaping Davy Jones"

"Okay, so there was a bit of a dispute amongst us three men because we didn't really have the same reason for finding the heart of Davy Jones, and we might have ended up fighting each other to see who would end up with the heart, and with that the ability to get what they wanted"

"What did you want?"

"Well, there were three possible outcomes" Elizabeth chuckled. "Either Jack would get his freedom once Davy Jones stopped sending the Kraken after him, or your father would have the ability to free your grandfather from being a servant on the Flying Dutchman, or James would be able to present Becket with the heart and regain his former status in society as opposed to being an outlaw"

"Unfortunately Norrington won" Jack took over. "Which was the beginning of a whole new set of difficulties when Becket got the heart, and with it more power than any man with that amount of selfish and greedy ambition should ever be allowed to have"

"But why were you eaten by the Kraken?"

"Oh" Jack nodded. "That was because I didn't have the heart when Davy Jones suddenly ambushed us, and because of that I was unable to stop him from sending the Kraken after me. Naturally Becket ordered Davy Jones to kill the beast later on, but I was already dead at that point so…"

"And that's when my mom and dad went to get you back…" he remembered.

"Yes we did" Elizabeth confirmed. "Can't say that it was a very pleasant trip, but it was definitely worth it in the end"

Jack smiled at her. It was good to know that she had never regretted her decision even though it had been based mostly on the desire to diminish her own guilt. Well, and maybe the fact that she had actually missed him it would seem.

"Can't say that I was enjoying my stay in the locker either luv" he countered. "But the feeling is very much mutual; it was worth everything I went through in the end"

"Then what happened with Becket and Jones once you got back from the locker?" the boy asked.

"You see, Becket and Jones were on a mission to rid the world of piracy" Jack told him. "And that meant that a lot of pirates were dead by the time I returned, along with a lot of people who may or may not have associated with pirates… I doubt that the East Indian Trading Company was that meticulous when determining whether or not a person was guilty. Anyway, I quickly came to understand that bringing me back had more to do with the people needing my help than any real concern for how my eternity was spent, and when that 'eternity' began".

"Well, mom wanted you back, right?" her son wondered,

"Of course she did" Jack acknowledged. "For several reasons I'd imagine, but at least a part of it was due to her missing me, no matter how loathe she may have been to admit that at the time"

"Oh, I don't think it was much of a secret that I missed you Jack" Elizabeth snorted. "Ask anyone who was with me at the time"

"I'm deeply flattered" Jack bowed in a teasing manner before continuing his story. "So, your father wanted my ship, Barbosa needed my one share of the nine pieces of eights, and a large part of your mother's reason was her feeling guilty about how we left things… so, all in all there were things to be dealt with all around"

"Did you have a fight before you died?" the boy inquired.

"In a manner of speaking…" Jack smirked as he met Elizabeth's eyes. "Naturally she hadn't needed to worry, and all was quickly forgotten. But we still had the two other issues to deal with; first off the freeing of your grandfather, and secondly destroying Becket's regime. So, the brethren court met to decide the fate of all pirates, and I can safely say that there were differences of opinions when it revolved around how to deal with this threat. Lucky for me your mother is pretty fearless when need be, and she had agreed to accompany the pirate Sao Feng in exchange for him releasing your father, Barbosa, the crew and myself. So, while we had made the journey to where the brethren court was to meet Sao Feng had been killed, and before his death he'd declared your mother the new Captain of his ship. Seeing as your mother is as fearless as she is she naturally agreed with my outlook on thing, which was that we had to fight Becket every step of the way. No one else seemed to think that was the best solution; Barbosa wanted to free Calypso, which was a crazy idea seeing as her hate for us actually made her destroying us all more likely than her agreeing to help us, and others simply wanted to hide in the vain hope that we could ride out the storm that way"

"So what did you do?"

"He demanded that we voted for who we thought best fit to be the pirate king" Elizabeth grinned. "You see, the pirate king would then be able to decide our course of action, and the rest of the pirate leaders would have no choice but to accept that decision. So, we started casting votes, and like tradition states everyone votes for them selves so there is no one selected king… until Jack votes for me. Everyone was stunned, but they had to accept my title as pirate king, and naturally my decision was to go to war, which is why Jack voted for me in the first place"

"So, we go to war" Jack took over. "And that is where your father asked your mother to marry him… for the second time no less seeing as their first wedding was interrupted by Becket arresting them. So, Barbosa performs the marriage right in the middle of a huge battle, but then disaster strikes. Davy Jones and your father comes face to face right after the wedding, and he ends up loosing the fight. I get a hold of Jones' heart just in time and threaten him by putting a knife to it, but he surprised everyone by stabbing your father through the heart when he realized that he and your mother are in love and that he had a chance to destroy their relationship. Your grandfather attacks Jones once he realizes that his son has been seriously wounded, and while Jones is preoccupied I make the decision to have your father stab the heart in stead of me"

"Which is why he's the Captain of the Flying Dutchman" the boy finishes the story.

"Aye mate" Jack agrees. "It made him immortal, but it also bound him to the Dutchman for ten years at a time. And it meant that I had to find immortality in my own way as well… which gave me the opportunity to share it with your mother and my father, and some day you once you're quite a bit older than you are now"

"Does that mean you can never die?" little Jack wanted to know.

"No mate, it just means that old age isn't going the be the cause of your death… the rest of it is up to you, so you have to be smart and protect yourself, savvy?"

"Savvy" the boy grinned.

"Good lad" Jack nodded. "Good lad"


	7. Chapter 7

"So, that was quite a lot of information he got during the telling of our story" Elizabeth chuckled later that night.

Her and Jack was sitting on the stairs watching the stars and the sea as the ship continued its journey. Jack smiled and nodded.

"Aye" he agreed. "It would seem that the young Mr. Jack Turner has had quite an interesting few days eh?"

"Indeed he has" Elizabeth sighed. "I'm just so relieved to have him back. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him. Part of me still can't grasp why they would keep him unharmed for a week… I mean, what did they hope to gain? If al they wanted was to hurt us then why not just kill him?"

"Well luv, I'm afraid it was never their intention to hurt the boy, at least not until absolutely necessary. I think they were trying to use him against Will seeing as they didn't have his heart to control him with. I think the esteemed Mr. Murtogg is trying to follow in Becket´s footsteps, albeit very unsuccessfully"

"I have to keep a closer eye on him then!" Elizabeth stated with determination. "There is no way I'm letting them have my son or that kind of power ever again"

"Don't worry about it Lizzie" Jack assured her. "I promise every member of the brethren court will be informed that any pirate is to watch out for the whelp, if for nothing else then for the sake of the pirate's survival in this world"

"You're an amazing man Jack Sparrow" Elizabeth established softly.

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow luv… kind of comes with the territory" he reminded her.

"I suppose it does" she laughed. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're amazing"

"Thank you darling" he acknowledged with a nonsensical sense of pride.

"No, thank you. I'm so glad you wanted to help me with this…."

"Always" Jack cut her off with a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Don't ever doubt that. If you're in any kind of trouble you come look for me and we'll fix it, I promise you that"

"I've really missed you Jack" she admitted.

"I guess I've kind of missed you too" he smiled.

They sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying the stars and the moon above, and the sound of waves crashing against the ship as it moved steadily through the dark surface towards its destination.


	8. Chapter 8

"Jack" Elizabeth greeted him as she joined him at the helm. "Would I be disturbing you if I keep you company?"

Jack smiled to himself. How could she think that he would ever consider her company to be anything but a very pleasant and welcome distraction from the world?

"Not at all luv" he assured her. "Anything serious you need to discuss? Because as the Captain I could always have someone take over here…."

"Nothing serious" she dismissed. "I just missed your company"

"Why Mrs. Turner!" Jack stated in mock shock. "If you're not careful I'll get the impression that you genuinely like me"

"You've known that to be the case for a long time now Jack" Elizabeth chuckled.

"Aye luv" he acknowledged. "And it still amazes me as much today as it did all those years ago…. To see how far we've come since the first time we met"

"Did you mean it?" she asked suddenly.

"Not quite following you here Lizzie…" Jack trailed of amused.

"That you forgave me for what I did? That you forgave me for the time you spent in the locker?"

"Is that still troubling you darling?" Jack asked surprised and she nodded. "I thought you knew. I mean, I thought it was clear that all was forgiven and forgotten"

"Well, you weren't holding any obvious grudge against me, but I mean… I wouldn't blame you if you did. If maybe you weren't too fond of me after that…"

"I could never do anything less than adore you Lizzie" Jack stated softly.

"Well Mr. Sparrow, if you're not careful I might get the impression that you genuinely like me right back" she teased.

"We wouldn't want that" Jack chuckled.


	9. Chapter 9

"So…."Jack began when they were alone later that night. "What's the plan once you get home?"

"I don't really have much planned" Elizabeth smiled. "But I was hoping that maybe a certain notorious pirate would stay with us for a little while"

"Well, the crew could use a couple of days off I'd imagine" Jack said as though he was considering it. "And I guess I could too"

"So you'll stay with us for a while?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Only because I don't have anything better to do" Jack assured her

"I'll take what I can get" Elizabeth laughed.

'You can have whatever you want from me; don't you know that by now?' Jack thought to himself as he watched her leave.


	10. Chapter 10

"Jack!" the boy screamed excitedly.

"Aye lad?" Jack asked amused.

"That's our island!" he was informed.

"I know that's your island" Jack smiled. "Before you know it you'll be home again"

"Mom says you'll stay for awhile"

"I thought I might" Jack confirmed. "If that's okay with you?"

"Yes!" the kid assured him. "I don't really want you to leave"

"Well, what about I promise to come visit from time to time, eh?" Jack offered. "Deal?"

"Deal" his namesake nodded before taking off.

"He's just as crazy about you as his mother was in that age" Elizabeth laughed as she joined him.

"Nice to see he has your eye for talent luv" Jack smirked teasingly.

"Jack?"

"Aye darling" Jack acknowledged.

"Do you ever regret meeting me? Do you ever regret everything that went down between the two of us?" she wondered softly.

"I may regret a lot of things, but you will never be amongst those things" Jack told her. "I don't regret a single moment I spend with you, a single sacrifice I made for you… and I never will"

"But I chose Will…." She trailed off.

"Lizzie" Jack cut her off and she looked at him. "Has he loved you and made you happy all of these years?"

"He has" she assured him.

"Then I'm happy for you" Jack stated simply. "That's all I ever wanted for you. And don't worry about me, I've been doing quit well for myself"

"I know you have" she smiled. "I've been trying to keep tracks of your adventures whenever I had the chance. Sounds like you've been busy"

"That I have" Jack grinned. "Been quite interesting having my freedom back, not having to worry about my enemies coming to kill me… Well, I suppose there's still people who might try should they see me again, but still. And my father… let's just say he's an interesting person to have back in my life"

"He seems like a good man" Elizabeth commented.

"Oh, he is" Jack agreed. "He's taught me a lot about life and how to live it. I believe it was him who taught me the importance of doing the right thing"

"How did he do that?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief.

"By telling me about the flaw in my plan to gain immortality" Jack smiled. "How did it go again? Oh yeah, something like: 'It's not just about living forever Jackie. The trick is living with yourself forever' or something to that effect"

"That's very sweet and true" Elizabeth said softly. "But 'Jackie'?"

Jack laughed and nodded his head in understanding. His nickname had never been a favorite of his, but seeing as his father insisted in using it he had come to accept it. He had almost forgotten that Elizabeth had never heard it before.

"Yes, now you know that about me too" he grinned.

"I like it" Elizabeth told him gently. "It's very you. Jackie and Lizzie, what a pair right?"

"Jackie and Lizzie" Jack chuckled. "Well, I suppose it does have a nice ring to it"

"But not very helpful when trying to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies I'd imagine" Elizabeth carried on.

"Probably not" Jack agreed. "But we have our reputations and our actual names and titles when that need arises, so we should be okay".

"So I can call you Jackie?" Elizabeth asked amused.

"Not if you have any desire to be alive tomorrow" Jack warned her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Whatever you say Jackie" Elizabeth bowed mockingly.

Jack smiled as their eyes met and her teasing stopped. Jack's breath caught in his throat at the tenderness in her eyes, a tenderness he knew was reflected in his own. He was just about to get closer to her when he was interrupted by Gibbs.

"Captain, we're making port" he was informed.

"Thank you Mr. Gibbs" Jack nodded. "I'll be there shortly"

"Aye Captain" Gibbs saluted before leaving them alone again.

Jack sighed and shook his head to get himself under control. He had been just about to make a huge mistake, and he knew he owed Gibbs a huge favor for stopping him. He met her eyes and put on a smile once again.

"Well luv, you're home again" he informed her.

"Yes I am" she confirmed.

"Let's go, shall we?" he motioned.

"Let's go" she nodded and turned. "Jack" she called for her son.

"He's here Miss Elizabeth" Gibbs called.

Jack followed Elizabeth off the ship and took in the surroundings. He had to admit that it was a beautiful island, and he could definitely understand its appeal, but he still had trouble seeing Elizabeth living there year after year and being completely happy about it. She had always been too fierce, too uncontrollable, too independent, too adventurous and too passionate for that kind of life.

"What was that luv?" he asked when he realizes that she had been speaking to him.

"I said come home with us" Elizabeth repeated. "We have a guestroom where you can sleep, and tomorrow I will show you around"

Jack knew he should say no, but he couldn't find it in him to do so. That was the reason he hadn't visited her for so many years, because he knew that he would never stop coming back if he saw her again. He had always known there would be no such thing as 'just one visit' if he opened himself up to her again.

"Sure Lizzie" he caved in. "Sounds like fun"


	11. Chapter 11

"How's the room?" Elizabeth asked when they were settling in for bed later that night.

"It's perfect luv" Jack assured her. "I can't remember the last time I slept in such a nice and soft bed, so I'm in heaven"

"I'm glad" Elizabeth smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Jack"

"Goodnight Lizzie" he replied softly.

She was about to leave when he grabbed her arm to stop her. She turned around and looked at him with a surprised look on her face. Jack pulled her into his arms ad her heart began beating like mad in her chest.

"I'm sorry about this" Jack stated before kissing her.

It was even better than he remembered, and when her arms came to rest around his neck and she started kissing him back he was lost. He strengthened his arms around her and one of her hands entangled itself in his hair to deepen the kiss, trying to get closer to him. Tongues met and began a fight for dominance as the kiss grew more desperate. Jack had known that kissing her would be a huge mistake, but…. Anyone who had seen her standing there in her nightgown, looking all innocent and seductive at the same time… anyone who had felt her lips on his cheek would understand: he couldn't NOT kiss her. Reluctantly he pulled back when the need for air became more pressing.

"Go to your room and lock the bloody door" Jack told her in a tense voice.

"But…." she began.

"Lizzie do as I say!" Jack interrupted her in a warning tone. "Because if you don't I am going to do something we'll both regret in the morning"

"Jack…" she tried again.

"Last chance luv" he warned her. "Lock yourself in your room, and no matter what I say do not open the door for me, because when I allow myself to truly grasp the fact that you were kissing me back I will try to get to you again, and the only way I can stop myself is by making sure you don't let me anywhere near you"

Elizabeth just looked at him with big innocent eyes that showed conflicting emotions cursing through her head. Jack just stood there for a while, but then he pulled her close again. He kissed her neck and strengthened his hold on her.

"Damn you" he panted before kissing her a second time.

She held on to him as he moved her towards the bed, and when he laid her down she hooked her legs around him to get more contact. Jack knew that he would be doomed if he didn't stop, knew that knowing what he was missing would make it that much worse if she ended up choosing Will again, knew that she would hate him for it in the morning…. Bur he couldn't get himself to care enough to stop it. Especially not when she was kissing him back, desperately seeking more contact, seemingly wanting it to happen as much as he did.

---

"Wow" she stated in awe when they were lying in bed together afterwards.

"Wow indeed" Jack nodded breathlessly. "Who knew Elizabeth would turn out to be such a screamer, eh?"

She chuckled and gave him a tender kiss.

"I didn't even know my voice could get that loud" she agreed amused.

Jack pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. He could hardly believe that this heavenly creature could get any more perfect, but once again he was proven wrong. He smiled to himself and came to the conclusion that the experience had definitely been worth a lifetime of being doomed.

"Want to see if you can get louder?" he asked with a smirk.

"Do your worst Captain" she grinned.

Jack kissed her and decided to worry about the consequences of what he'd done in the morning. After all, he mused, if this was to be his last time experiencing her in this intimate way he was damn sure going to enjoy it for all it was worth.


	12. Chapter 12

When he woke with her in his arms the next day he smiled sadly. Part of him was wishing that he had never allowed himself to feel how perfect achieving his hearts desires could be, but another part of him was happy that he had finally had what he had been dreaming of for more years than he cared to admit.

"Good morning" Elizabeth smiled as she opened her eyes.

"Morning luv" he smiled and kissed her forehead before getting up to get dressed.

He had known that he would have to leave in the morning, had decided it the moment he had given into his desires. Because he had known that there was nothing to stay for. She would start regretting what happened the night before, starting to feel guilty when thinking about her husband, and he wouldn't be able to handle seeing regret in her eyes. He probably wouldn't be able to look at her and know that he would never again have her in the way he had always wanted her, that she would never be his again.

"Jack….?" she trailed of with uncertainty in her voice.

"Don't" Jack asked in an almost pleading tone. "Just let it be Lizzie"

He was desperate to keep her from asking him to stay, desperate for her not to make it any harder for him than it already was.

"Stay Jack" he begged him.

"Why?" he sighed as he turned around to meet her gaze. "What am I staying for?"

"For me!" she stated.

"Am I missing something luv?" Jack asked her bitterly. "Are you not married to Mr. Turner?"

"Yes" she nodded sadly.

"And haven't you said that he's made you happy all of these years? Haven't you given the impression that you have no interest in leaving him?"

"Yes" she sniffled.

"Then what Lizzie?!" he asked. "What?!"

"I can't…." she sobbed.

"You can't what?" he inquired.

"I can't walk away from this again" she admitted. "I don't think I would be able to handle it"

"And I don't think I could handle sharing you, or god forbid loosing you again after having allowed myself to hope that things might be different this time around" Jack countered.

"You cam be a real fool at times" she smiled through her tears.

"How so?" he demanded.

"YOU are the one I want!" she stated in angry desperation. "You've always been the one I wanted! You know that…. You SHOULD know that"

"You chose him!" Jack reminded her. "You bloody married the fool and left me without giving me any clue that it was not what you wanted. And if it wasn't what you wanted then WHY did you do it?"

"Because you scared me!" she defended herself. "You're so intense all of the time! You look at me and I can't breathe… you give me a feeling of being safe and loved that I was frightened of becoming addicted to, that I was already addicted to I guess. All I wanted was to run as far away from you as I possibly could, and all I wanted when we said goodbye was for you to take me in your arms and refuse to let me go"´

"What are you saying here?" Jack encouraged her.

"I'm saying that I am in love with you" she replied resignedly. "I'm saying that I don't want to repeat my mistakes…. Which is why, this time around, I am asking you to do what I wanted you to do all of those years ago. Take me into your arms and promise that you will never let me go again"

"And Will?" Jack wanted to know.

"Will always be an important part of my life, of our sons life. And I will always love him. But it is time to accept that I don't love him in the way that I am supposed to love him, and that what we have is nothing more than a very close friendship"

"And do you plan on telling him that?" Jack pressed on.

"Yes" she promised while looking into his eyes and caressing his cheek. "I don't want to be shared anymore than you want to share me. I don't want to hurt you again Jack, and I am not saying this lightly"

Jack sighed in surrender and pulled her very close to him before kissing the top of her head.

"I am never letting you go" he promised fiercely, doing exactly what she had asked of him, what he had wanted to do all along. "I promise you that"

"So you'll stay?" she asked hopefully.

"For now" he nodded. "And when I leave on my journeys I'll take you with me as often as you want me to"


	13. Chapter 13

"Jack" Elizabeth addressed her son nervously a couple of days later.

Her and Jack had been enjoying each others company, and she was feeling happier than she had felt in more years than she cared to admit. But right now all she could feel was guilt and fear. How would her son react, and did she even have the right to do this to him?

"Yes?" her son asked.

"Well… I was wondering what you think about Jack" Elizabeth began uncertainly.

"He's great mom" Jack smiled. "He's really funny, and he tells great stories. I can't believe how many things he's seen"

"So you wouldn't mind if we went with him every once in a while?" she asked her son.  
"No!" he burst out. "That would be awesome!"

"And you wouldn't mind it if he stayed with us a lot more often?" she inquired.

"Of course not" her son assured her.

"I'm glad, because I have something to tell you that you might not like" Elizabeth confessed,

"What?" 

"I really like him Jack" she confided in him. "In fact, I more than like him, I'm in love with him. And he seems to feel the same way about me. So I think it might be time for your father and me to end our relationship so I can be with Jack instead. I mean, you're never going to loose your father, I promise you that. Will loves you more than anything else in his life, and you will get to see him as often as possible. And when it's not I'm hoping you still won't mind travelling with Jack and having him stay here"

She was looking at her son, trying to get an idea about what he was thinking by watching his face. He didn't look mad, but there was no smile or happiness to see either. But thinking about it was a good sign right, she mused? Maybe that meant that he was gradually getting used to the idea and accepting it… or maybe it meant that he was too mad to even want to speak to her. Damn, why did this have to be so complicated?

"I don't mind" Jack stated. "As I said, I really like Jack. And I think it's good that you found someone"

"So you're not upset that your father and I won't be together anymore?" she sighed in relief.

"You were hardly together anyway mom" Jack reminded her. "I mean, I've seen you together once, and even though I really like him I wouldn't exactly call that a relationship. And I kind of thought you and Jack might like each other more than as friends, so it's not a total shock"

"My my, how did I get such a clever and sweet boy?" Elizabeth smiled and kissed the top of his head. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that you are okay with it"

"Honestly" he sighed and pulled away from his mother's embrace. "You knew how much I like Jack, so why would you think that I'd be all mad about this?"

"Well, I didn't want you to think that you were loosing your father, or that I was betraying him. I didn't want you to be hurt by it in any way" Elizabeth tried to explain.

"I'm fine mom" the boy stated. "But I refuse to call him dad!" 

"He'll be glad to hear that" Elizabeth chuckled amused.

--- 

"Come in" Elizabeth called as she heard a knock on the door.

"Is it safe to return or a I in any immediate danger I need to know about?" Jack asked.

"You're safe" Elizabeth laughed. "come in"

"So I take it the whelp wasn't completely opposed to his mother having a relationship with Jack Sparrow then?" Jack smiled.

"No, he seems to think that you're a great man, almost seems to think you're as amazing as his mother does" she declared lovingly. 

"I'm glad" Jack smiled and gave her a kiss. "And I can assure you that the feeling is quite mutual"

"Are you referring to his mother or him?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Both" Jack informed her while forcing her to lay down on the bed as he moved in on her. "Although right now his mother is the one I want to be focusing on"

Elizabeth smiled and pulled him down for another kiss.


	14. Chapter 14

"Jack, I need to talk to you" Elizabeth told him as she entered their cabin.

They had been travelling for about a month now, and as always when she was at sea she couldn't believe that she had ever lived without it for so many years. Jack, who was now almost 13 years old, had taken to life at sea very quickly as well, and he was enjoying spending time with the crew and the Captain as often as possible.

"What's wrong luv?" Jack asked.

"You like Jack right?" she started the conversation off.

"Aye" Jack confirmed. "He's a great kid"

"And you haven't really minded having a kid aboard your ship right?" she continued.

"No, I quite like having him around" he assured her.

"That's good" Elizabeth nodded hopefully. "Because we might have another child aboard the Pearl soon. I'm pregnant Jack"

"You're…." Jack trailed of.

"Pregnant" Elizabeth finished the sentence for him.

"Well, my father will be pleased to know he's getting a grandchild" Jack stated,

"And how are you feeling about it?" Elizabeth tried to press.

"I'm very happy" Jack informed her with a forced smile.

"You don't look it" Elizabeth tried.

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it" Jack replied.

Elisabeth couldn't help but laugh at that. Anyone else having that reaction would have made her angry and hurt, but he somehow made it funny. Not that his lack of enthusiasm was surprising in any way, she had been well aware that Jack Sparrow wouldn't go all warn and fuzzy when he was informed that he was about to become a father.

"What?" he demanded.

"It's okay to feel scared and overwhelmed Jack" Elizabeth assured him. "I had the same reaction when I found out a couple of days ago"

Jack nodded and grabbed her hand to pull her over to him. When he could get a better hold of her he pulled her down to sit on his lab.

"I want it to be perfectly clear that it has nothing to with me not wanting this child, or me not loving you" he told her as he caressed her cheek.

"I know that" she smiled and kissed he palm of his hand.

"Good, because I need some rum right now" Jack sighed in relief. 

"Already two steps ahead of you" Elizabeth laughed and put the bottle she had brought for him on the table in front of him. 


	15. Chapter 15

Jack couldn't believe it. He was standing with a beautiful baby girl, his daughter, in his arms, and he was happier than he had ever been. He smiled at Elizabeth as he handed their daughter back to her and breathed a sigh of relief because the birth was over and done with. Quite an intense and frightening experience he thought, and hoped that he would never see the pained expression on Elizabeth's face ever again.

"She's beautiful!" Elizabeth smiled.

"Just like her mother" Jack stated lovingly and kissed her.

"Old softy" Elizabeth muttered teasingly. "So what should we call her?"

"I don't know luv" Jack admitted. "any suggestions?"

"Well, I actually have the perfect name" Elizabeth grinned. "Jacquelyn… kind of fits with the rest of he family wouldn't you say?" 

"Jack, Jack and Jacquelyn?" He wondered amused.

"Or Jackie, Jack and Jacquelyn" Elizabeth laughed. "What do you think?"

"I think it sounds absolutely perfect" Jack assured her and gave her a kiss. 


	16. Chapter 16

Elizabeth wasn't looking forward to seeing her husband again. First of all because she had a now 6 year old daughter to explain, and secondly because she was about to tell said husband that she didn't think their relationship should be something they continued in the future. 

The green flash appeared, and so did the familiar ship that would bring Will to her like it had ten years prior. She had left both kids at home with Jack seeing as she didn't think they should be around when she had her dreaded talk with her sons father… which was the first thing that tipped Will off.

"Where's Jack?" he asked.

"At home" Elizabeth smiled. "I thought we should talk first" 

"About what? Something wrong?" Will wanted to know.

"Well, nothing is wrong per say" Elizabeth denied. "But I have something to tell you that you might not want to hear"

"Yes?" Will encouraged her.

"Will, I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you, and that you will never loose your son. I mean…."

"You're with Jack now?" Will finished for her.

"Yes" Elizabeth confirmed surprised.

"Yeah" Will nodded resignedly. "I guess I always knew we'd end up here" 

"I do love you" she told him.

"And I love you" he sighed.

"But I am IN love with him Will"

"You always were, weren't you?" he wanted to know.

"Yes. Too stubborn to admit it, but I think I always was" she agreed. 

"Were you ever in love with me?" he inquired.

"I thought I was, but… I don't think I ever really was" she admitted. "Do you hate me now?"

He couldn't meet her eyes, and his slumped shoulders told her that he wasn't overly happy with the answer he had received. Guilt coiled in her stomach, but part of her, the part that felt very strongly about him deserving the truth, keep insisting that she had done the right thing. The only mistake she'd made, the one that she kept coming back to, was choosing the man she thought was the safe choice, thus leaving behind the one man who had had her heart for years before that fateful day. She heard Will take a deep breath and looked up to find his eyes on her.

"I don't hate you" he shook his head in denial.

She smiled in relief and let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding in while nodding her head in understanding. It was exactly what she had needed to hear, and even though she wasn't quite sure she deserved his kindness she accepted the lessening of her guilt with gratitude. Maybe things would be alright after all, she allowed herself to hope.

"We have a daughter" she informed him as the silence stretched on and she felt he deserved the actual reason for meeting him alone. 

"Yeah?" he smiled sadly and she nodded.

"Jacquelyn" she stated. "6 years old now"

"Am I right in assuming that you left Jack at home because you wanted to talk to me before I met your daughter and her father then?" Will asked.

"You are" she confirmed.

"Well, now I know, so let's do it then" Will suggested.

"Okay" Elizabeth agreed. "I know Jack is looking forward to meeting you again, so … best to make the most of it, right?"

"Right" Will acknowledged.


	17. Chapter 17

Jack was waiting for the arrival of Will and Elizabeth with the two kids. Young Jack was now 19 years of age, and had become a very beloved and courageous young man, and Jacquelyn was now 7 years and growing up so fast, so unlike her brother, and yet so alike.

Jack with his parents sense of right and wrong, with bravery enough to stand up for himself, and with enough stubbornness and temper to make that courage needed more often than it would have been otherwise. And Jacquelyn with her mothers beauty, her fearless approach to all who she believed to be wrong, a very strong desire to learn, cunning enough to out best a lot of adults, bravery enough to border on fool hearted at times, and her father's desire for breaking rules and testing boundaries.

"Dad, they're here!" Jacquelyn announced excitedly.

"And they're both alive, which I take to be an immensely good sign" Jack added.

Jack laughed and nodded. It was remarkable to see the influence Jack had had on his younger namesake, and it was at times like these that this fact became most obvious. 'Not something Will will appreciate' he thought to himself.

"Well then, why don't you go say hi to your father, and then we'll take the chance and introduce him to the remaining two members of our little family, eh?"

"Aye aye Captain" Jack saluted him with an amused smirk before leaving.

"Do you think he'll like me daddy?" Jacquelyn wanted to know.

"He'll adore you just like your mother and I do" he assured her while picking her up and spinning her around. She giggled and cuddled into him after receiving a kiss on her cheek.

The door was opened and Jack put his daughter down gently before turning his attention to the beautiful woman entering with her husband besides her. He took a deep breath before going over to greet them like a man.

"William Turner!" he stated while offering his hand in greeting,

"Captain Jack Sparrow" Will acknowledged as he offered his hand in return.

Jack smiled and bowed his head in respectful confirmation. Jacquelyn came up to stand besides him, and he smiled while laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Allow me to introduce Miss Jacquelyn Sparrow" he beamed proudly.

"It's nice to finally meet you Jacquelyn" Will said with a smile.

"Likewise Mr. Turner" she replied.

"Please, call me Will" Will chuckled. "Everyone else does"

"And sometimes I like to call him 'whelp'" Jack confessed.

"Don't remind me" Will sighed dramatically.


End file.
